Various types of anesthesia machines have been disclosed in the patent literature and many are available commercially today. Heretofore such machines have made use of various types of control and display panels to effect the operation of the machine and to provide visual indications of various operating conditions/functions of the machine as well as monitored patient data, e.g., pulse rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure, etc. Such panels and their associated actuators, e.g., buttons, switches, etc. have typically been located at fixed position or location on the machine.
Such fixed or stationarily positioned control/display panels leave something to be desired from the standpoint of ease of use, convenience, and accessibility. Thus, it is desirable to provide a control/display panel which can be readily positioned with respect to the user and without moving the anesthesia machine itself so that the panel can be located at a convenient position and orientation for use.